State of the Union 2024: Roop Raj speaks with Michigan leaders ahead of address

FOX 2 (WJBK) - President Joe Biden will give a pivotal State of the Union speech tomorrow and FOX 2's Roop Raj is in Washington D.C. right now, speaking with our nation's leaders about the issues that matter most to Michigan voters.

The State of the Union is 9 p.m. Thursday, and it's a critical chance for Biden to win over any Americans who have concerns about his age or flashpoint policies of immigration, the war in Gaza, and the economy. 

If you talk to Republicans, they'll say they want to hear about what this President is going to do about the border and economy, while if you talk to Democrats they want to know about progressive policies like protecting reproductive health and concerns with overseas military action. All of that's going to be covered Thursday night.

One particular topic to watch is how the massive uncommitted vote - more than 100,000 primary voters in Michigan and thousands more around the country, will factor in. Biden's stance on the Israel-Hamas war and the many pleas for a ceasefire will likely factor into his remarks tomorrow.

Fox 2 was granted unique access to the White House on Thursday ahead of the State of the Union address, to sit down with cabinet level leaders and talk to them about what the State of the Union is going to be all about. 

Stabenow: I'm not worried about Joe Biden

One of the biggest criticisms of President Biden has to do with his mental acuity and his memory. A federal investigation of mishandled classified documents even said in the final report that Biden would be difficult to convict, describing him as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

US Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) disagrees, claiming Biden remains sharp. 

""I'm not worried about Joe Biden, I bet I worked with him all the time. This is somebody who knows every world leader who knows what's going on in Michigan, who doesn't miss a beat. It's not about age, it's about action. It's about what do you do. Republicans that's all they've got is his age. And that's accurate. His age is accurate. But Is that sufficient?

"He was in town just a few weeks ago, and I was campaigning with him, and honestly could barely keep up."

Stabenow also spoke about the economic gains she said the country has made under Biden talking about manufacturing jobs coming back. 

Slotkin: ‘Kitchen table issues’ are important

US Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) spoke about the economy and what she wants to hear from President Biden. 

"The things I hear about the most are pocketbook kitchen table things like how much money do I have in my pocket? How much money do I save every month? How do I cover the insane costs of health care, prescription drugs, childcare, housing?" Slotkin said. "And what's our path to a more comfortable place? That's what I hear about probably more than anything."

James: Biden needs to secure the border problem he created

US Rep. John James said, although he is concerned about Biden's age, one of the biggest topics for tomorrow night is the crisis at the border.

James said that Biden has the power to secure the border more than he has.

"The President already has the authority, the same authority that he used to roll back the Trump regulations that were working in large part to secure a border and keep Americans safe," he said. "This isn't some obscure rule - it's something that's been used 69 times in my lifetime, 19 times by President Obama and 12 times by President Clinton to secure our border. 

"I would really like President Biden to be that unifier that he promised us he would be."